Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-09-01
EVOLUTION OF EXERCISE.


been equalled in these parts for many
o long day. Many Of your readers have
attended Professor CromwelPs enter
tainments and remember his remarks
about the three men who were ascending
Mont Blanc, as illustrated in the pic
ture he gave of the ascent. AS we
nurse our scratches and bruises and
gaze upon our dilapidated wardrobe We
are forcibly reminded OF the three adj
venturous spirits aforesaid. LCrom-
wells name for them is not so polite.
THE sTART.
We started from the lawn about D 2.
NJ, and after going up the Monterey
road about a mile turned into field to
the right. A gentle ascent OF about
half mile brought us TO stripQf woods.
Then followed stiff climb through
those woods for quarter OF a
mile. and we found ourselves in
another field. This field covers about
an acre, is surrounded by woodland, is
completely carpetted with wild carrot
blossoms and oxeyes, and commands a
beautiful view of Bonner's Gap. just
above us was the most deceptive noun
tain side it has ever been my fortune to
encounter.
THE PATHFINDER.
blr. Bishop informed us that short
climb would bring us to the top OF the
mountain, where we would find path
leading down to the dollhouse, and
volunteered to be our guide and path
finder. That Mr.. Bishop acted in good
faith donot question. DIR. Ancrum and
myself agree that he thought he knew
where he was going, but the evenings
experience has thoroughly convinced
rs that he tackled the wrong mountain.
| However, up we started, Mr.. Bishop
leading the way. Early in the walk
Dr. Ancrum had gathered a large bunch
Of wild flowers, and to his prize he
| chung with a tenacity that was simply
| leroic. How we ever reached the top
passes my comprehension for our
movements reminded me of the efforts
Of the cat to get out of sixtyfoOt well
by jumping up one foot and falling
back two feet. But we did reach the
top, and we were amply rewarded for
ali the fatigue we had undergone. The
sun WAS Just about setting. Above
| the mountain line was o long
strip of purple cloud. Below this the
lay God stood, robed in crimson,
linging the cloud and the mountain
tops with a reddish golden hue, and
hathing the fields and woods as far as
the eye could reach with pure and
soft yellow light. have witnessed tue
sun set from many points in these
mountains, but never saw the picture OF
Yesterday evening equalled either in re-
spect of brilliancy of sky effect or ex-
t'nt Of country lighted up. The rock
from which we took the view commands
both Ronner's and McGuflin's gaps, and
have named it Bishops Boulder. "
If any one does not like the name, let
him go up there and rechristen it.
= hats ell have to say.
CoMnG DOWN.
We saw :he sun 90 down AMI then
We started Gown. And we went down
with cilcuitousness, emphasis, and
cflority. Our "path-fnder" struck
cat boldly to find the path we had
been hearing about ever since we
started up the mountain. But it soon
lecame apparent that if there had ever
Icen path there it had been stolen,
CT had stray ed, or was running around
loose. Every now end then some
one Of the party would yell out that he
bad found the path, but before he
could grab it and the others could
come up with him it would get away.
DR.. Ancrum was so certain that he
bad it at one time that he tried to tie it
and blindfold it with his coat, which
he had been carrying on his arm. l
tried to sit on it and sat in spring OF
water. at last we held council and
Mir. Bishop insisted that there was a
path up higher. As we did not have a
balloon, the milky way was not visible,
and copy OF the Providence Journal
giving the paths of the planets was not
Mt land, We did not see any way OF
making practical use of Mr.. Bishops
information. ! suggested that "the
way 10 see daylight was -
but before L could complete my
sentence Dr. Ancum gave the
pleasing assurance that if we
ever saw daylight again we would be
very fortunate. For another half-hour
we wired IN and wired out through
thickets, over dead logs, and around
boulders. at the end of that time it
was so dark that we could not see ten
feet IN front OF US, and DR.. Ancrum
and myself discovered that we were not
only lost, but had lost Mr.. Bishop. To
add to the horrors OF the situation,
as they say in the novels, discovered
that my compass was gone. Here was
o pretty kettle of fish. am speaking
uetaphorically, Of course. We were
very hungry, and nothing would have
pleased us more than kettle OF tish.
TIE BEAUTIFUL BELLS.
Suddenly the stiffness was broken by
a sound like the rush of an avalanche,
which we concluded was made by Mr..
Bishops rolling down the mountain,
ard then there swelled up from the val
lev the sweet music of the Warm Spring
supper-bell. Dr. Ancrum waved his
bouquet above his head, shouted to me
: | 10 follow, and then commenced the
. most remarkable waltz down a noun
! tain that has taken place in this gene
! ration. / say waltz, for it was literally
, | nothing else, and how we accomplished
the feat without breaking our mack:
will ever remain a mystery. Tbt
mountain side is covered with loos'
. rocks of various sizes and shapes Il
, was utterly impossible to see where
you were placing your feet, and an
| sure we frequently span around twenty
times in half as many yards. We came
| down by feeling faith and dead weight
and DR.. Ancrum IS certain that w
killed numerous varmints aud reptiles
by rolling the rocks upon them. W.
account for not having been snake bit
/, ten upon the theory that the snake
\ must have thought an earthquake ha'
Q struck the mountain. We LANDED
q With q "fop" in the middle o
: the old stage-road and foun'
: MIR. Bishop awaiting us and look
ing ss calm and rnconcerned as
; he had never headed an atroclous wild
!, goose chase in his life. proposed +
Dr. Ancrnm that we tie the remnant
: OF our "galluses " together and hans
4 Mr.. Bishop to the nearest tree. Dr
J Ancrum thought il better. however, +